Sir Frank Williams, the founder of the Williams Formula One team, has been admitted to hospital. The 78-year-old is in a stable condition according to his family. The team he built became one of the most successful in F1. Williams owned the team and was its principal until earlier this year. A statement from the family read: “Sir Frank Williams has recently been admitted to hospital where he is in a stable condition. Frank’s medical condition is a private matter and therefore the family will not be releasing any further details at this time. We ask for you to respect the family’s privacy. The team will release a further update in due course.” Williams founded the team alongside the young engineer Patrick Head in 1977 and entered their first full season in F1 in 1978. They won their first race a year later when Clay Regazzoni took the flag at Silverstone in 1979. The team won nine constructors’ championships and seven drivers’ titles between 1980 and 1997. Only Ferrari have more constructors’ championships and only Ferrari and McLaren have entered more grands prix. Drivers including Alan Jones, Nelson Piquet, Nigel Mansell, Alain Prost, Ayrton Senna, Damon Hill and Jacques Villeneuve raced for Williams and the team have always enjoyed a large and enthusiastic following in the UK.